iPhone 7 Plus to Have Dual-Lens Camera System Using LinX Technology: KGI

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iPhone 7 Plus to Have Dual-Lens Camera System Using LinX Technology: KGI

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The day following Apple’s record-breaking fiscal Q1 2016 quarter, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a note to investors – obtained by MacRumors – predicting that Apple is currently testing two 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus models: one having a single rear camera and the second, a dual-camera design.

Last year Apple acquired Israel-based LinX Imaging, so the rumoured iPhone 7 Plus with dual-lens camera system could be the first visible result of the talent and IP acquisition. The technology brings various improvements the new device could benefit from, such as multiple sensors for a smaller size, so Apple could finally drop the protruding camera lens – a patent published earlier this week seems to confirm that Apple is working on a camera system which fits into a thinner handset, by the way.

In his note, Kuo emphasized a unique ability of the LinX algorithm which could enable the optical zoom that the next-generation camera has been rumoured to include. As such, Kuo expects the iPhone 7 Plus to feature a 2×–3× optical zoom function. The dual-lens configuration model will likely account for 25% to 35% of all iPhone 7 sales, Kuo says.

The dual-lens camera system, however, could bring up new issues: supply-chain constraints. That’s why Kuo believes Apple will offer both single- and dual-camera versions, but he didn’t mention any pricing configuration. However, we can expect the iPhone 7 Plus with dual-lens camera to cost more than other versions.